Stigma Scale
SS-DevaluationPerceived Mental Health Stigma
12 items
1987
α 0.75–0.85
Free
Link, B.G.
What it measures
Measures beliefs about how most people in society devalue and discriminate against individuals with mental illness. Captures anticipated and perceived stigma — what people believe others think and do regarding mental health conditions. Widely used in stigma and help-seeking research.
Representative items
- Most people believe that a person who has been in a mental hospital is just as intelligent as the average person. (R)
- Most people believe that a person who has been mentally ill is just as trustworthy as the average citizen. (R)
- Most employers will pass over the application of a person who has been mentally ill in favour of another applicant.
- Most people would not hire a babysitter who had been mentally ill, even if he or she had been successfully treated.
- Most teenagers would not want to date someone who has been mentally ill.
Citation
Link, B.G. (1987). Understanding labeling effects in the area of mental disorders: An assessment of the effects of expectations of rejection. American Sociological Review, 52(1), 96–112.